


Remainder

by Copperfur



Category: Persona 3, Persona Series, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Merged canons, Post-Canon, Resurrection, Waking From A Coma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-15 22:31:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9260810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Copperfur/pseuds/Copperfur
Summary: With the seal broken, the demons of the human heart are unleashed on another world. Pokémon trainers flock to the mysterious Giant Chasm for answers and find something very different. And the creatures continue to spread.





	1. Rescued

**Author's Note:**

> I am co-writing this with 19jchoi on fanfiction.net

The Unova of this universe was a world where  Pokémon trainers and Persona users existed as one and the same - Pokémon trainers were also hosts to Persona, in other words. However, there were Persona users who decided not to branch out to become Pokémon trainers. It was a dual-bladed ‘weapon’, but both groups found this world to their liking.

 

A pair of Rapidash were racing each other through the Giant Chasm, whinnying happily and kicking up their hooves. The two skidded to a halt, however, when they heard human voices talking in the home of Kyurem.

 

Glancing curiously at his mate, the stallion Rapidash led her closer to these voices. Upon finding the three humans, the fiery equine  Pokémon observed warily. They had no intention of disturbing the Great One, Kyurem of the Tao Dragons.

 

The Rapidash watched as the teenagers talked, before it appeared that the brunette – Abby, they called her – doubled over in obvious pain, teeth clenched.

 

A being of some kind, not a  Pokémon and clearly not a being from human folklore, materialized in front of the girl.

 

“Artemisia...” The Rapidash heard the girl cough out. Seeming to realize she had little time left, the girl called her partners out and pressed the centre button on their Poké Balls. It glowed a bright blue as it released the hold the balls had on the Pokémon. “Get out o’ here, guys! Before she kills you, too!”

 

Abby only had time enough to watch her beloved Lucario be the last to leave, before Artemisia struck, personality already lost.

 

Lost to imbalance and the taint of overwhelming Shadows.

 

The twisted Persona first slit her former wielder’s throat, eyes shining as a deranged cackle burst from her mouth. Blood gushed from the wound. The sight unnerved Imari and Masaru, the other two teenagers, but Artemisia paid them no mind.

 

The Persona-turned-Shadow only paused for a moment, before smirking smugly at Abby. The light was starting to die in her eyes, but she distantly wondered what else her former Persona could do to her. Artemisia set about breaking the girl’s limbs, from the shoulder blade and hip joint.

 

It was sheer agony.

 

Abby could barely scream from the intense pain. And that, unfortunately, was Imari and Masaru’s breaking point. Screaming in terror, the pair fled, their own Poké Balls secured to the belts around their waists.

 

The Rapidash freaked out as well, unable to bear seeing anyone in so much pain. They bolted, immediately regretting doing so, but wanting to survive more than anything.

 

Artemisia ignored all interruptions, focusing only on her former wielder. She leaned closer to Abby’s slowly dying form, appearing to whisper ill-intent in her ears. Unable to speak or even issue any sound, Abby shook her head listlessly.

 

Artemisia’s form finally dissipated, as if someone got rid of her, leaving Abby in the Giant Chasm still. The former Persona’s plan had been successful: Abby would die from frostbite. Either that, or Kyurem himself would come to investigate what had happened and eat what was left of her.

 

Time seemed to pass slowly, while the intense cold from the Chasm seeped its way into Abby’s bones. Abby stubbornly clung to life, but knew she wouldn’t last much longer. She could hear heavy footfalls, indicating a Pokémon of a large stature.

 

Abby made to sigh. It was Kyurem.

 

_Great_ .

 

Similar to a certain Shinjiro Aragaki, Abby was mentally unstable and so her Persona, Artemisia, acted on her own accord. Like Shinjiro, Abby had to take the same drug as him to keep Artemisia in check. It did not always work, however.

 

Abby knew it was only a matter of time before the drug claimed her life and she passed on. But before that, she wanted to make the most of what little life she had left now. Artemisia be damned!

 

She would fight with every ounce of willpower she had left to remain alive, not let Kyurem eat her.

* * *

 

 

"Gah... Huff... Huff..." Imari gasped as she took several deep breathes, as she was still panicked at what had happened.

 

"Did... did you just see that?! Abby... Her Persona... It's like her Persona had the desire to kill... Like a Shadow did..." Masaru panted as he paled to what happened to his friend.

 

"Yeah... I... I saw it, too... Why...? Why would Artemisia do that to her?" Imari asked, as she grew bewildered at the situation. She turned to Abby's Lucario, who grit his teeth with anger and sadness. Abby's other Pokémon were also upset at what had happened to their trainer.

 

"Lucario... Everyone..." Imari whispered, frowning at the Aura Pokémon's sadness.

 

Masaru on the other hand, stood up, and glared back at where they had run from. "I'm going back! Abby isn't going to last much longer over there with the Shadow killing her!" Masaru snapped.

 

"But still! Even if you try to go there and stop that Shadow, you're forgetting Kyurem! He lives in the Giant Chasm, remember?!" Imari reminded, causing Masaru to grit his teeth with frustration.

 

"I don't care! She's our friend and I'm not going to abandon her! You can leave if you want, but I'm going!" Masaru snapped, causing Imari to widen her eyes, before she loosened her grip on Masaru's arm.

 

"… If I can't change your mind, then I'll go with you... I'm not... I don't want to leave her, too." Imari sighed, as Masaru's face softened for a moment as he smiled lightly.

 

"Thanks..." Masaru thanked as he turned to Lucario and the other Pokémon of Abby's.

 

All of them seemed to have felt the same thing as they all rose up, angry, but determined to save their human friend from the Shadow and the Legendary Dragon. With that agreed, Masaru took out some empty  Poké Balls , before recalling Lucario and the other Pokémon inside.

 

"Let's go! We may not be able to defeat Kyurem, but we can at least stall it to save her!" Masaru called.

 

"Right!" Imari yelled as the two headed back to the cave with the two Rapidash watching them. They were both amazed to see how much courage they had so that they could save one human friend.

 

Meanwhile...

 

"Ngh... Argh! It hurts... It hurts so much..." Abby whispered to herself, as the blood slowly gushed out of her. Her face paled at the sight of Kyurem approaching her.

 

" ** What's this...? A dying human...? ** " A cold, but strong voice grunted in annoyance.

 

"Hah... Ah... Please... Don't kill me... Kyurem..." Abby pleaded as Kyurem raised a claw towards her.

 

" ** I am afraid... You're already dead as of now... Human ** ." Kyurem scoffed as he attempted to strike, as Abby just kept her eyes shut, not wanting to feel the intense pain.

 

"IZANAGI!" A young voice shouted out loud. Before Kyurem could strike the bleeding Abby, a short blade blocked his attack, startling him as the Ice type Dragon jumped back a little.

 

" ** Argh... Who is it!? Who dares to stop me from-- ** " Kyurem started, before he heard two footsteps coming his way.

 

In front of the two figures, was a black warrior that seemed to be like a serious warrior, or like a black samurai. "That's enough, Kyurem..." A boy commanded loudly.

 

Abby weakly opened her eyes to see in inverted style to see a boy who looked like he was thirteen or fourteen. "This has gone far enough! I know that besides Zekrom and Reshiram, you don't have the heart to kill humans, unless they have darkness inside them!" The boy snapped.

 

" **..... ** " Kyurem remained silent, while Abby squinted her eyes to see the boy coming closer.

 

The boy's hair was black, but with blue-white, cold looking bangs. One of his eyes was bright red on the left, with his right eye having the brown colour. He had a black line tattoo under his right eye, with a white line tattoo under his left eye.

 

His left hand had a white fingerless glove, but with a black dragon head symbol on the centre of the back. His right hand had a black fingerless glove, with a white dragon head symbol on the centre of the back as well. He had two swords behind his back on the two sheaths.

 

His black-white necklace's string became a chain, with the necklace having three sections now, showing the yin, yang, and wuji symbol. He wore black-white combat boots, with black-white mixed trench coat as well as his black wristband on his left wrist, while white on his right wrist.

 

His combat pants were black and white mixed as well, with his body glowing a little with sky-blue light, which seemed to look like a shield for him. Besides him was a Lucario who had a white tattoo streaking around its left eye.

 

"Who... Who are you...?" Abby gasped, as blood flowed out of her mouth a little.

 

The boy remained frowning before he glared at Kyurem. "Kyurem... Please... just leave this human girl to me and Narri." The boy requested, as Abby blinked.

 

_Narri...? So, that's the Lucario's name?_ Abby thought as she glanced at the young boy. He looked serious despite looking young and, at the same time, he looked like a true warrior.

 

Kyurem remained silent before it walked off, giving a glance towards the boy and his Lucario. " ** Very well... I will leave her to you. But, if you're around when I return, I will show no mercy ** ." Kyurem warned, as the boy gave a small nod.

 

Narri stepped up, making a promise for him and his human partner.  _We will be gone before you know it_ . Narri assured in a deep, serious tone.

 

At the confirmation and promise, Kyurem continued walking off back to his territory, leaving the bleeding Abby, the young boy and Lucario alone.

 

As he seemed to be finally gone, the boy knelt down next to Abby's bleeding body. "Who... Who are you...?" Abby weakly asked, as the boy kept his frown.

 

The Persona next to the boy disappeared, as the young warrior answered her just audible question. "My name... is Takeru. Takeru Yamada, the child of Zekrom. And you must be another Persona user, correct?" Takeru asked, causing Abby to weakly open her eyes.

 

"C-Child of Zekrom...? And... how did you know that I was a Persona user?" Abby asked.

 

"Answers can come later. We need to heal your wounds. Narri, can you use your aura together with your Heal Pulse?" Takeru asked he put his hands on Abby's bleeding body.

 

Narri smiled softly at his human partner, confirming with a nod.  _Yes. I can do that, brother_ . Narri responded, causing Abby to blink in confusion.

 

"What... you're... brothers...? Argh! Gah!" Abby started before she started to cough out more blood, shocking the boy as he grit his teeth.

 

"Don't talk. Stay quiet. If you keep talking, the faster the blood will pour out of you." Takeru warned.

 

He closed his eyes as his gloved hands began to glow, sealing all of Abby's wounds, while commanding the blood to slowly go back inside her.

 

_What...!? Th-This is..._ Abby thought in shock as Narri the Lucario did the same thing, using his aura and Heal Pulse too.

 

"This might take a while. Get some rest while we're at it. This is going to leave you exhausted." Takeru reminded, as Abby did so, closing her eyes and falling asleep.

 

One thing was for sure: she was lucky to have the boy come to her and heal her wounds from her former Persona.

 

Takeru had seen the whole incident unfold and, being completely honest with himself, was shocked at the Persona’s behaviour change. He had seen unstable Persona users before, but not to this extent. This was a new level of instability he had not experienced until now.

 

It unnerved him, but he wouldn’t admit it to anyone. Takeru was the Champion of Unova, after all. He didn’t admit weakness out loud to anyone. Maybe his own Pokémon, yes, but no one else.

 

For now, he focused on healing the girl who been beaten and broken. Takeru would have to look into this.


	2. A Veil of Deception

Imari and Masaru arrived back to witness Kyurem be “talked out of a meal”, as Masaru would put it. Imari didn’t really like that her travelling companion had said that and gave him a hard whack on the arm to get her point across. Masaru whined animatedly, but quietened at Imari’s glare.

 

“Sorry,” he muttered sullenly.

 

“No, you’re not.” She countered swiftly, but her voice was lighter now. Imari turned to the boy and his Lucario and took a step forward. “... Excuse me? Is she...? Will Abby be okay?”

 

The cobalt blue-haired girl wasn’t sure if Masaru genuinely cared about Abby as a friend or whether he just saw her as a travelling companion. The redhead’s constant pessimism didn’t help matters, either. But Imari herself knew she liked Abby, despite the teen’s arrogance due to her being the daughter of a League Champion and her tunnel vision on homosexuals.

 

The boy turned and introduced himself and his Lucario. He was silent for a moment, as if choosing what to say and what to reveal later on. “She nearly died. It will be touch and go for a while. One thing is for certain: she will be very weak when she comes to. Abby will need you both to support her.”

 

Focusing his thoughts on Narri only, he added:  _She will be lucky to make it to the end of the adventure. Only sheer force of will is keeping her going_ .

 

Narri nodded, not replying via his Aura lest one of the others was also an Aura Guardian and Takeru couldn’t tell.

 

Sensing something was off about Takeru’s response, Imari called him out on it. “You know something’s wrong with her, don’t you? What is it?”

 

Takeru analyzed the other girl for a second. She was smarter than she appeared. He spared a glance at the still sleeping Abby and seemed satisfied. “Artemisia exploded out of your friend’s body. She is treading a fine line between life and death at the moment.”

 

Takeru saw no reason to hide the truth from the girl’s friends. It wasn’t like they could stop what was going to happen or save her in any way. It was far too late for that.

 

“Wait, what?!” Masaru exclaimed. “What are you saying?”

 

Imari swallowed anxiously, wanting to look away from the others. She had heard about this. A relative of her mother’s had had it happen to him.

 

Gathering her nerve, she faced Takeru and met his gaze. “She’s a husk. That’s what you were trying to say, wasn’t it? You were trying to protect our feelings...”

 

“What is going on?” Masaru tried again, not having any idea what they were talking about.

 

Imari finally turned away, her voice cracking. “Abby’s the living dead, Masaru. Haven’t you heard of unstable Persona turning on their wielders and killing them or Shadows bringing forth Apathy Syndrome?”

 

Masaru blinked, taken aback. “Well, yeah, but... Wait, Abby lost her life force?! What?!”  _Damn Artemisia to hell and leave her to rot_ .

 

"You!? How do you know so much about this!? You look like you've experienced this before!? Just who are you, Takeru!?" Masaru demanded as he pointed at Takeru with an accusing look on his face.

 

At that, Narri stepped in front of his human brother, glaring at the angry Masaru.  _Do not accuse my brother of this, you little fool! He saved your friend, so you should be grateful to him!_ Narri snapped angrily.

 

Takeru sighed, before he put a hand on Narri's shoulder. "Easy, Narri. No need to get so annoyed with the guy here." Takeru assured, causing the Aura Pokémon to calm down as Imari frowned, before she glanced at the sleeping Abby.

 

"With Artemisia gone... How can she defend herself...? She's no longer a Persona-user anymore-" Imari started, until Takeru interrupted her.

 

"No... There is a way to retrieve her Persona back." Takeru said calmly.

 

That left the two shocked as they turned to the child of Zekrom. "You serious!? Tell us! What do we have to do!?" Masaru snapped as the child of Zekrom glared at the impatient Persona-user.

 

"And you need to settle down. Otherwise, I'll just keep my mouth closed." Takeru warned coldly, leading Masaru to glare at him back.

 

"Hey! You're one to talk, especially when we're much older than you, buster!" Masaru retorted angrily.

 

"Masaru, stop! You're arguing with the Unova Champion here, remember!?" Imari snapped, as Masaru immediately calmed down, before he gritted his teeth.

 

"I know that! But... But... Damnit!" Maseru hissed angrily.

 

Silence floated in the air as Abby's Lucario appeared out of his Poké Ball and knelt down to his beloved trainer. He stroked her hair, feeling guilty and upset.

 

Narri watched as the fellow Aura Pokémon whispered some words to his trainer, like he was apologizing for running like a coward when he should've protected her.

 

"....." Silence once again remained in the tense air.

 

Later, that night...

 

Far from the Giant Chasm, the child of Zekrom sat near the fire that he built with his powers, with Masaru and Imari surrounding it as well. Abby was lying on Imari's sleeping bag, covered with her blanket. "When will she be able to wake up?" Imari asked in concern.

 

"Tomorrow afternoon is my guess. I can't say for sure since she suffered a fatal blow from her former Persona. And once she does wake up, we need to find her Shadow." Takeru answered firmly.

 

He kept his eyes narrowed, his tone being cold, much to Narri's upset.  _Brother... Must you keep speaking like this? This isn't you, you know_ . Narri reminded sadly, as the child of Zekrom sighed, before admitting the way he's acting right now.

 

"I know... But... This is something that I can't smile or laugh about, Narri. I hope that you understand." Takeru reminded with a soft look on his face, as Narri bit his lip, before he turned his eyes back to the fire.

 

Masaru fumbled with his fingers, as he took a glance at the child of Zekrom. "So... He's not only the new Unova Champion... He's a Persona-user, plus the child of Zekrom... Not only that, he's an Aura Guardian, too! Just... Just what is he!?" Masaru thought furiously.

 

He kept thinking about on how puny he felt, being the weaker one than the child of Zekrom. He quickly stood up, catching Imari's attention as she widened her eyes at her travelling companion.

 

"Masaru? What are you doing?" Imari asked as the two Aura users looked up as well. Masaru's face was shadowed, until he looked up, glaring at Takeru with a determined look on his face.

 

"I... I'd like you to fight me! As a fellow Persona-user!" Masaru declared, catching Imari and Takeru by surprise as the cobalt-blue haired girl looked at him, as if he was crazy.

 

"Masaru! That's crazy! He's a comrade! Not our enemy!" Imari scolded, annoyed.

 

"I know that! I just... I just... don't want to look weak, especially in front of him! The only I can prove that I'm not weak in my belief... is when we fight! We fight with our Personas and see which is more capable in battle!" Masaru explained loudly.

 

Narri looked at the hot-headed human with a weird look, believing that the human would be crazy if he could possibly beat his human brother, who was a skilled dual-wielding swordsman and a powerful Persona-user.

 

To his surprise, his human brother rose up, as he glared at Masaru with a serious look on his face. "Are you sure you want to do this with me? Because if you do, then I won't be holding back, especially with another Persona-user." Takeru warned.

 

"I won't expect you to! Because I'm planning to win! I... I can't let my Persona get to me... Just like when Abby had her Persona get to her..." Masaru assured, giving off a small hint of fear as the child of Zekrom sighed.

 

"Let's go to a more open field. We can have our fight here and not distract the girls here." Takeru suggested, which Masaru accepted at once, despite Imari's protest.

 

"Masaru...?!" Imari started until she realized that it was futile to argue with him, especially once he stood firm of his challenge request.

 

With the agreement done, the two boys moved to a more open field, where interruptions wouldn't be necessary. The two Persona-users glared at each other, while Imari and Narri watched from the campsite.

 

Once the two opponents made eye contact with each other, Takeru quickly activated his powers. "Tao Form Transformation... GO! HAH!" Takeru yelled as he glowed bright white, before his appearance became more like a swordsman.

 

The small tattoos on his cheeks and the red pupil on his left eye came back, with his clothes and outfit changing to black and white as well, showing that he would be going all out. And then, the child of Zekrom had a blue glowing aura surrounding him as an Arcana card floated down towards him.

 

Masaru quickly focused on his Persona, preparing to call him as the two boys summoned their Persona out to battle.

 

Takeru - "Izanagi!"

 

Masaru - "Quetzalcoatl!"

 

Takeru's Persona looked like a serious black swordsman, with a metal mask and a short, but sharp sword. Masaru's Persona looked like a winged and feathered serpent as the two glared at each other before making their attacks.

 

Takeru - "Ziodyne!"

 

Masaru - "Garudyne!"

 

The electricity and wind clashed together and exploded as Masaru was stunned by the collision, as he brought out his tanto, before he noticed Takeru closing in as he brought out two swords with one that seemed to look like a black dragon or Zekrom, glowing with electricity.

 

The other was sky-blue, with the blade glowing like it was Aura as the two swords slashed the tanto away, sending it flying into the air, shocking Masaru as he held the black sword near his throat, while the sword showing aura was near the back of his neck.

 

"What... how?" Masaru gasped as Imari widened her eyes in shock. She had never seen someone so fast in blinding speed. It was like, he wasn't even human! Narri smiled lightly, seeing how his human brother easily defeated his opponent.

 

At the battle being over already, the two Persona disappeared, leaving Takeru to withdraw his swords as Masaru fell to his knees in disbelief, seeing that he had lost already to a powerful swordsman.

 

"I lost... and so easily, too." Masaru whispered in shock as the child of Zekrom narrowed his eyes at the stunned boy. His Tao Form Transformation ended, turning him back to his normal human self as he sighed in disappointment.

 

"Never misjudge your opponents, no matter how young or weak they look. That's one lesson I can give you from that fight. And to be honest, all I have to say is, I'm disappointed. With the way you are right now, you will never be able to protect anyone," Takeru said coldly.

 

Masaru said nothing, but remained dismayed, as he watched the child of Zekrom walk away back to Narri and Imari, as the cobalt-blue haired girl was amazed with the quick results of the fight.

 

"Damnit... DAMNIT!" Masaru yelled as he felt even more frustrated than before.

 

Takeru was not impressed with Masaru. Not at all. The teen who was blind in one eye rubbed him in all the wrong ways. He was too argumentative and impatient, not to mention he overrode and ignored any comments made by Imari. Takeru really did not like that. He preferred everyone to speak their mind equally.

 

Takeru also knew Abby had been and, still was, taking the same drug as Shinjiro to keep Artemisia under control. But now that Artemisia had attacked Abby and dissipated, it was going to be impossible to retrieve her Persona... despite what he had said.


	3. Gone

“Let me reiterate what I said.” Takeru insisted. He went on to repeat to his travelling companions that reconnecting Artemisia to Abby was impossible, even going as far as saying that she would die and there was nothing any of them could do.

 

“You expect us to believe you?!”

 

Masaru.

 

Takeru sighed and rolled his eyes in frustration. Was there anything that would get through to this ignorant fool? “Yes, I lied before, but only to see how you would react. I’m telling the truth now, however. There is no hope for your friend.”

 

“Then why did you help her?”

 

Imari.

 

“Why did you help her if she was going to die anyway?”

 

Takeru knew immediately Imari had a knack for asking or saying the most heartfelt things. Though he barely knew any of them, he felt he owed it to Imari to give her a decent answer about Abby.

 

So he explained to the best of his ability, that without a certain card it was unrealistic for a Persona user to remain clinging to life when they’ve used up their life force.

 

Takeru studied their faces as he talked, feeling sick in his stomach when he saw the realization. The horror dawned on their faces as they accepted, however reluctantly, that the trio was now down to two.

 

Abby wasn’t going to be with them much longer. Masaru ran over to a bush and brought up his dinner. Imari simply turned away and got ready for the night ahead.

 

Masaru went to bed not long after. But Takeru stayed up, watching over Abby’s husk with Narri by his side. When Takeru was sure the other two were well and truly asleep, he woke Abby from her rest.

 

He leaned down and whispered something inaudible in her ear. _It’s time_.

 

Her eyes flickered wearily over to where her friends were sleeping, before she gave a deep exhale.

 

She was gone.

 

Takeru glanced away for a moment in a sign of respect, before turning back to Abby’s body and using his hand to close her eyelids. He prayed she’d be safe.

 

It hurt him to end their friend’s life like that, but he couldn’t bear to see her suffer any more than what she already had. Takeru had seen everything, had watched Artemisia literally rip Abby apart physically. And that was saying nothing of the mental trauma she would have experienced.

 

With his duty done, Takeru settled down for the night, asking Narri to keep first watch. The Lucario complied, going to sit with his back against a tree and protect the campsite.

 

Morning came the next day and, with the sun, two teenagers grieved. They assumed Abby had passed away. They didn’t know Takeru had ended Abby’s life peacefully. Takeru had made Narri promise he wouldn’t tell them, either. The Lucario vowed he would take the secret to his own death bed.

 

With the matter resolved, Takeru let Abby’s Pokémon go, saying only that Abby had died. They were saddened.


	4. Strained Tempers

It was a silent, but dark morning for Imari and Masaru, as they still didn't want to believe that their closest friend had died. Takeru remained silent, as he stood up with his swords attached to his back. Narri stood up with his human brother as the two were ready to leave.

 

_Brother... What should we do now?_ Narri asked as Takeru looked back at the sulking Masaru and Imari, before he sighed.

 

"We keep moving." Takeru said as the Lucario frowned at his short, but simple answer.

 

_To where? Those guys..._ Narri started to say.

 

"They'll be fine. We all know that Abby will live peacefully in heaven, now that she no longer has to suffer. For now, we have to get back to the Dire Wolves headquarters. Mana and Arron should be waiting there right now." Takeru explained sternly.

 

At the plan, Narri nodded, as he noticed Imari and Masaru had finally come, both still looking upset as Imari rose her head up to speak with the Child of Zekrom. "What are you planning to do with us now?" Imari asked as Takeru made his answer.

 

"I'll take you both back with me to the Dire Wolves' HQ. My brother and my little sister will know what to do with you two. There's a chance that we might need your Persona powers in case is any more trouble were to happen." Takeru explained sternly.

 

"What... So, you're planning to use as tools with our Personas?" Masaru asked bitterly, causing the Child of Zekrom to turn and glare at the male Persona user as Masaru clenched his fists at him.

 

"Don't even think about using us as tools! We both want to mourn for our friend that just died, and now you say you're going to use us as tools!? Just who do you think you are!? You may be the Child of Zekrom and the Unova Champion, but I will not accept this!" Masaru yelled angrily.

 

"Masaru! Calm down!" Imari said as she tried to calm her friend, only for Masaru to lash out at her.

 

"Shut up! Our closest friend is dead! All because of him not being able to save her, since he lied to us right in front of our face! He can't be trusted, Imari!" Masaru bellowed out loud.

 

Hearing the human insult his brother, Narri made a movement to look like he was about to attack, only for Takeru to hold him back with a small shake of his head.

 

"I know Abby is dead, and I know that we couldn't save her! But it's not Takeru's fault! He didn't want to let us suffer more when Abby suffered the most! Besides, he knows things that we don't know about!" Imari protested loudly, catching Masaru by surprise.

 

The male Persona user gritted his teeth, before he clenched his fists, unable to think or say anything in his mind. Takeru watched as the two friends finished their argument, before he turned on his Xtransciever.

 

He contacted Mana's number, making his call. A few seconds later, his little sister picked up, as she answered the call. "Hello? Big brother?" Mana said on the other line as Takeru answered back.

 

"Yes, Mana. It's me." Takeru said as he sighed.

 

"Where are you, big brother? It's been about a week since you left to search for more Persona-users and you haven't updated me or the others ever since!" Mana complained as the Child of Zekrom sighed.

 

Mana was his younger sister, and the youngest member of the Dire Wolves. Nevertheless, she had the ability to use ice and the ability to heal, making her the Daughter of Kyurem.

 

But, there were times when she worry too much, like she had expressed just now. "I'm fine, Mana. I managed to find three, but... One has perished, before I could even save her..." Takeru explained darkly, earning a gasp from his younger sister.

 

"Brother...?" Mana started to say as Takeru continued on with his report.

 

"But, the other two are in perfect shape. I'll be bringing them to you as soon as I can. It might take a few days to get back, though." Takeru said as a sigh came from the other end.

 

"A-Alright... Be careful, okay? Big brother?" Mana asked worriedly, as Takeru smiled weakly at her concern.

 

"Alright." Takeru said as he ended the call, as Imari came over to him.

 

"Who were you calling?" Imari asked as Takeru turned to her with a frown.

 

"My younger sister, who is known to be the Daughter of Kyurem." Takeru explained, shocking Imari as she took a step back.

 

"Kyurem...? As in..." Imari said in shock.

 

She still remembered the time when Kyurem nearly killed the already injured Abby as Takeru sighed. "Yes, the same Kyurem that nearly killed your friend." Takeru said, confirming the female Persona-user's fear.

 

Changing the subject, Takeru made his plans to get back to the Dire Wolves headquarters. "We'll be taking a train to Vertress City, and to head to the Dire Wolves' main HQ there. It shouldn't take that long." Takeru said as he begun to move.

 

Imari reluctantly followed, knowing that she has to trust the Child of Zekrom, since he knows most about Personas and Shadows. Plus, with his friends and comrades at their side, it would make her life and Masaru's much more easier.

 

As she followed, she turned to see Masaru not following as she stopped, before she walked over to him, catching Takeru and Narri by surprise as they turned to see the girl try to make her friend move with her.

 

"Masaru, come on. You know we have no other choice but to follow Takeru, since he might know something that we don't know." Imari insisted, as she tried to convince Masaru to move. The male Persona-user sighed as he shook his head, before admitting defeat.

 

"Tch... Fine... But I'm only doing this because I know this is what Abby wants us to do. This doesn't mean I trust him or his friends. From what I know, they could be hiding something from us, and they probably won't tell us things that we want to know." Masaru said sharply.

 

"Watch your mouth. The Dire Wolves only hides secrets from organizations that opposes the peace of Pokémon and people. You know nothing of us, you blathering idiot." Takeru said darkly, earning a glare from the hot-headed Persona-user.

 

"What was that!? I dare you to say that again, you little runt!" Masaru snapped as Narri sweat dropped, while smiling sheepishly.

 

_Oh boy... Here we go again. A foolish human is being lectured by big bro here..._ Narri said with a sigh.

 

SLAP!

 

"OW!" Imari had slapped her friend, causing Masaru to flinch in pain, before he noticed Imari glaring darkly at him. "You say one more word and I'll send you off into space, got it!?" Imari hissed threateningly, as the expression left Masaru to sweat drop and nod slowly.

 

"Uh... Yes... Ma'am..." Masaru said nervously, as the Child of Zekrom blinked in surprise. This was very similar when Pierce screws something up, causing Sarah to threaten him with her serious and threatening looks and words.

 

"Shall we get going, then?" Takeru asked as he began to walk off again, causing Imari to drag Masaru so that they could catch up with the Child of Zekrom.

 

None of them, however, noticed a figure spying on them as the figure said its words. "It seems there's a bit of... a bitter relationship between the Unova Champion and those two Persona users..." The figure said with a thought on her mind.

 

She then smiled, making a plan for herself. "I could probably use that to my advantage... once they arrive at the station. Then, those two brats will need the Unova Champion more than ever!" The figure said as she took her leave, preparing to execute her plan into action.


	5. Captured

It was an hour before the three Persona-users have arrived at the station, where a train was headed for Vertress City. As Masaru and Imari were buying their tickets, Narri felt something dark for a moment as he looked around, showing a frown on his face.

 

Seeing this, the Child of Zekrom walked over to his Pokémon brother, showing a small frown. "Narri, what is it? Do you sense something?" Takeru asked as Narri gave a small nod in confirmation.

 

_Yeah... I thought I sensed something dark just now..._ Narri said with a frown as Takeru looked around. Using his powers, he checked to see if there were any darkness in any of the people's auras. So far, he found none.

 

"I don't know what you sensed, but I don't sense any evil around here. Just stay sharp, though. We may have to expect the unexpected to come at us." Takeru said, causing the Aura Pokémon to nod in agreement.

 

"Next train to Vertress City, moving soon!" The conductor said, ringing the bell. Hearing this, Takeru turned to see Masaru and Imari run towards him, as they had managed to buy the tickets for the ride. "Everything okay?" Takeru asked as the two nodded together.

 

"Yes…"

 

"Yeah..." The two said together, allowing the Child of Zekrom to nod as the three and Narri began to move inside the train together. As they were inside, the Child of Zekrom stopped as he got in.

 

A strange feeling came to his mind and body as he looked around. While Imari and Masaru didn't notice, there weren't any other passengers in this car. As he walked over to the door to the entrance to another car, there didn't seem to be anyone there, either!

 

"Something's wrong, for sure... I guess Narri wasn't just imagining things... But what is it?" Takeru thought as he glared at the train cars inside as Imari noticed this.

 

"Is something wrong, Takeru?" Imari asked, catching Masaru's attention.

 

Narri felt the strange feeling too, until he felt something dark coming from far ahead.  _Brother! I sense something up ahead! It feels big... and there's darkness in it!_ Narri said in shock as Takeru widened his eyes.

 

"Masaru! Imari! We have to get off, now!" Takeru yelled, catching the other Persona-users by surprise.

 

"What!? Why?" Masaru asked in surprise before the doors suddenly closed shut!

 

The three Persona-users widened their eyes in surprise as Masaru ran up to one of the doors as he tried to open it. "Argh! Ggh! Gah! It won't open! It's shut tight!" Masaru grunted as he winced from the small pain in his fingers.

 

At that moment, the train begun to move, startling the three Persona-users as Imari felt frightened on what was happening. "Wait... What's going on?" Imari asked as Takeru gritted his teeth, before explaining the situation.

 

"It seems there is some sort of a Shadow up ahead. And it's controlling this train!" Takeru explained, leaving Masaru annoyed.

 

"What do you mean, 'it seems'!? The driver could be driving this train, could it not!?" Masaru snapped, until a shrill laughter came out of nowhere.

 

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha! I'm afraid not, darlings!" A female voice laughed out loud, catching the three Persona-users by surprise as the plasma screen on the train car's ceiling blinked on to show a woman that looked like she was insane, while ready to hunt her prey!

 

"What the hell!? Who are you!? And what are you doing to this train!?" Masaru snapped as the woman laughed.

 

"That's no way to talk to a lady, little boy... And isn't it obvious? With the Shadow I created moving this train, your death will be inevitable here." The woman explained manically.

 

At the mention of death, Imari paled, shrinking down to the floor as she shook her head. "Death... You're... going to kill us? What did we ever do to you...?" Imari whimpered, feeling weak.

 

"Imari!?" Masaru gasped as the woman laughed.

 

"Ah ha ha ha ha! Seeing your fear is so tasty... Too bad it's gonna melt away once this transportation crashes." The woman said darkly as Takeru twitched his eyes in annoyance.

 

Noticing his anger, the woman turned to both Takeru and Narri, taunting the two Aura Guardians. "Well, well, well... If it isn't the Unova Champion and his partner, the mutt..." The woman said tauntingly, as Narri grew a red tick on his head in annoyance.

 

_Who are you calling a mutt, you old witch!?_ Narri snapped as Takeru spat at the woman's motive for the train.

 

"You have some nerve coming to us out of nowhere and telling us about our incoming deaths..." Takeru hissed as the woman smirked.

 

"Oh? Is it getting on your nerves? Well, if you don't want to die then... you have to defeat the Shadow, then! Of course, one of you will have to die in order for you all to defeat it, however..." The woman said, licking her lips.

 

At this being mentioned, the three Persona-users and Narri all widened their eyes as Imari widened her eyes in fear. "One of us... has to die in order for the others... to live?" Imari repeated as the woman sneered.

 

"Indeed! And I have already chosen the person who is destined to perish early on this battle! Once you discover the Shadow, you will see why! So, until then... Ta-ta!" The woman said as the screen blinked off, leaving Masaru to scream at her.

 

"Hey... HEY! Come back here, you old cow!? What do you mean one of us has to die!?" Masaru snapped as he clenched his fists in anger. He pounded on the seats, frustrated with the sudden incoming death coming to him and his friend.

 

Takeru on the other hand, closed his eyes for a moment, before he opened them, as he turned to the others. "Looks like we have no other choice... We should first see what's up ahead. And then, we can deal with whatever Shadow we need to deal with." Takeru explained.

 

Angry at being ordered around, Masaru stood straight up ad grabbed Takeru's jacket collars. "Shut up! Who the hell put you in charge!? I don't need to hear you babbling about what the woman said!" Masaru snapped as Narri smacked him away, forcing Masaru to let go.

 

_Pathetic human! Don't you dare touch my brother!_ Narri hissed angrily, only to earn a glare from a Masaru back. The hot-headed Persona-user shook his head before he stomped up to a car door to head for the next car.

 

"Argh! Screw this, I'm doing this alone!" Masaru snapped. As he was about to open the door, a mist of miasma came from behind him, catching Takeru, Narri and Imari by surprise!

 

"Masaru! LOOK OUT!" Imari screamed, shocking Masaru as he turned to see a Shadow coming for him! Rushing to his rescue, the female Persona-user pushed Masaru out of the way, only to let the Shadow grab her instead!

 

"Imari!?" Both Takeru and Masaru gasped as the Shadow dragged her away to the next car!

 

"AAAIIIEEEE!" Imari screamed as the car doors shut itself tight, as more Shadows came out, blocking the way to the next car!

 

"Argh! Imari!? Get out of the way, you freaks!" Masaru snapped as he focused on his powers, as the Arcana Card floated down in front of him, allowing him to use his tanto to slash at it!

 

"Go, Quetzalcoatl!"

 

The winged-feathered serpent Persona appeared, hissing as Masaru attempted to charge at the Shadows.

 

"Heat Wave!"

 

The Persona blasted a heat wave at the Shadows, eliminating some of them, until more appeared, much to the male Persona-user's annoyance. "Oh, come on! Seriously!? Move!" Masaru snapped desperately.

 

Suddenly, one of the Shadows approached him from behind, shocking Masaru as he screamed in surprise. "AHHHH!" Masaru screamed as he shut his eyes tight.

 

"Izanagi!"

 

A bolt of lightning zapped the Shadow, surprising Masaru as he witnessed Narri defeating the rest of the Shadows with Aura Sphere. He turned to see Takeru in his Tao Form, while having his Persona, Izanagi behind him.

 

Surprised to see the Unova Champion helping him, he slowly stood up as Takeru scoffed, before passing him to open the car doors. "Watch it next time, you idiot." Takeru said harshly as he moved to next car, as Masaru could only blink, before he frowned as he followed.


	6. Backup Arrives

With the Shadows that had blocked them eliminated, Takeru and Masaru entered the next carriage. The sight that lay before them made Masaru stiffen in horror, but Takeru only grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes.

 

They had left Abby’s body back at the camp-site, but here she was in front of them. Takeru knew immediately she’d been possessed by a Shadow and shook his head, vexed that the dead had been disturbed.

 

Narri was not so silent about it, however.  _Shadow filth!_

 

And then there was Imari, held hostage by a Shadow Takeru recognized as her own. Its sword was at the girl’s throat and it had a crazed look in its eyes. The Champion raised an eyebrow.  _Things were being made difficult on purpose_ , he realized.

 

“Imari!” Masaru called, taking a step forward. This prompted the Shadow to inch the weapon closer to Imari’s neck. She gasped in fear instinctively and Masaru was forced to cease his movement towards his friend. “Hang in there, Imari!”

 

“That’s right, little boy!” The Shadow that possessed Abby spoke from her unmoving mouth. “Stay right there and be helpless with indecision.” It cackled insanely, getting enjoyment out of the other’s humiliation and helplessness.

 

Takeru’s expression only hardened. “Masaru!” Izanagi’s wielder bit out. Masaru faced the Champion. “Don’t listen to it! It’s trying to brainwash you into letting the Shadow kill Imari! You don’t want that, right?” At Masaru’s negative head shake, Takeru continued: “Swallow your pride and prepare yourself, for it begins.”

 

One of the glass lights on the roof of the train suddenly shattered and a figure leaped down to be beside Takeru and Masaru. Other individuals followed as Takeru and the blue-haired teen glanced at each other.

 

“Yuki! Don’t be reckless like you where back then!” A carrot-haired girl reminded.

 

Takeru merely nodded at Yuki, somewhat relieved that backup had arrived, even though he wouldn’t admit it to anyone. Narri raised an eyebrow at the arrivals, but kept his focus on the Shadows.

 

Takeru swept his gaze over the Persona team, realizing that they were all there. That worked perfectly. “We need to secure Imari safely back on our side,” was the only instruction Takeru gave. He knew they would take on and kill the Shadows by themselves.

 

Yuki left his team-mates to their own devices as they battled the various Shadows. He aimed his gun at his head. “Orpheus!”

 

The Fool Arcana ran towards the front of the train to where the Shadow controlling the transportation was. A heavy stream of flame burst forth from his hands, making the Shadow recoil in severe pain as it turned to face Yuki and his Persona.

 

“Agidyne?” Yuki mused to himself. _Interesting_.

 

Meanwhile, Shinji, Akihiko, Ken, Yukari, Koromaru, Iori, Chidori and Mitsuru had all cleared the remaining Shadows. Yukari had guided a very shaken Imari back to Masaru, who felt like the biggest fool of the century. These people were so much better at dealing with Shadows than he would ever be.


	7. Despair to Hope?!

In a large forest, there were crunching of leaves as two figures walked across the forest, both looking like they were in search of something. As the two were walking, the first figure heard a beeping noise coming from his left wrist as he took it out to see that it was his Xtransciever.

Taking the call, he saw that it was the Child of Zekrom contacting him.

 _"Is everything okay over there? The SEES and the Dire Wolves headquarters haven't heard a thing from you or Infernape, Hikaru."_ Takeru said with a serious look.

The figure, who was revealed to be Hikaru chuckled a little in amusement. Infernape walked up to see the Child of Zekrom as the Sinnoh Aura Guardian and Champion spoke.

"That's because I decided to find something that I lost long ago... What our family lost long ago... You think you get that, Takeru?" Hikaru asked sternly as Takeru frowned. _"Do you mean... Your father, Yamato?"_ Takeru asked, earning a curt nod from the Sinnoh Champion.

"Yeah... Ever since this conflict rose up, I've heard something interesting from our enemies involving the new world that Cyrus tried to create in the Sinnoh region once..." Hikaru said as he remembered something that he eavesdropped when he spied on the enemies that controlled the Shadows.

* * *

**Flashback**

_**Two Months Ago...  
**_ __  
The Sinnoh Champion stealthily crept up to the one of warehouse buildings in Canalave City, as it was now taken over by the organization that controlled the Shadows.

Thanks to the assistance from Roark and Byron, the people of Canalave managed to escape, leaving their city abandoned, allowing the invaders to take over and take control of it.

As Hikaru quietly glanced to see some workers speaking about something, he closed his eyes, using his Aura to hear on what they were saying right now.

"Hey... Did you hear about a rumor of some sort?" The first worker asked his comrade as the second one narrowed his eyes at this. "What rumor? Does it have something to do with us taking over this world?" The second worker asked, as the first said his denial.

"No... I mean, the rumor about the new world that Team Galactic tried to create, when their boss, Cyrus disappeared, remember?" The first worker asked, catching Hikaru by surprise as he kept his position quiet. The second worker expressed his interest as he urged the first to keep going.

"Oh yeah... A group of no-good brats interfered with that operation, right? And Cyrus disappeared along with the traitor, Yamato... the Sinnoh freak's father." The second worker said vulgarly as Hikaru opened his eyes, clenching his fists in anger.

His fists glowed a little with Aura coming out as he kept listening with his Aura powers.

"So? What about that incident?" The second worker asked as the first continued on.

"Some of our comrades said that someone managed to leave that new world... Either Cyrus or Yamato... Although, there were more evidence that it was the traitor coming out of the new world, escaping from death." The first worker said, shocking Hikaru as this was the first time of hearing this.

"Escaping from death? How the hell does that work? The notes we stole from Team Galactic's base clearly stated that once you get dragged into the new world's portal, you'll be trapped there for eternity. There was nothing about a method of escaping it." The second worker scoffed in disbelief.

"Yeah... I couldn't believe it when I heard it, too. But, it's true, alright. There were small camera recordings of Yamato running around, like a wild rogue. Can you believe it?" The first worker asked as the second shook his head.

"No... I can't..." The second worker said as Hikaru opened his eyes again.

"Dad... So, you're alive?" Hikaru said silently to himself as he managed to sneak away before he was caught.

**Flashback End**

* * *

"Aren't you just getting ahead of yourself? I mean, they may have said that your father escaped, but you can't just believe them even when they just said that, right?" Takeru asked sternly.

The Unova Champion was not liking on where this was going as he knew what a bad plan was when he heard one.

Infernape watched his human brother in concern as Hikaru continued on, with his wish to search for Yamato, his long lost father, who he thought was dead.

"I know that, but still... This is a chance that I would like to take. You would do the same for your family, would you? Just like the time when you managed to find your father after hearing some strange rumors..." Hikaru said as Takeru interrupted him.

 _"That's because it came from the Dire Wolves! They're not enemies, like the workers that you've heard, Hikaru!"_ Takeru snapped back, causing the Sinnoh Champion to glare back.

 **"Bro... That's enough. That includes you, Takeru! You know fighting against each other won't get us anything useful!"** Infernape said with a serious, but concerned look on his face.

That concluded the argument between Hikaru and Takeru as the two bit their lips before the Unova Champion spoke again.

"Fine... Do what you like. But when something dangerous comes up enough to corner both you and Infernape, then call for backup, okay? Even if you are the Guardian of the Sinnoh region, one person alone can't do anything risky by themselves." Takeru said with a serious face.

At that, the connection was cut, ending the call as Hikaru sighed before he shook his head. Turning to Infernape, the Aura Guardian gave a tired look to his Fire Type Pokémon.

"What's going on with me, Infernape...?" Hikaru asked as the Flame Pokémon shook his head, as he didn't know how to answer that question.

 **"Don't know... I guess that rumor the workers brought out made you look different. You're like... desperate to find Yamato, even when the enemies spoke of it, and you're acting a bit... rash by jumping to the conclusion that your father is still alive."** Infernape said with an unsure look on his face.

The words stung Hikaru a little as he knew that the Flame Pokémon was right. He looked at his fingerless-gloved hands as he clenched them, annoyed with himself for his change of personality and actions.

"Y-You're right... I guess I've changed..." Hikaru said as Infernape frowned at what his human brother was saying.

 **"Changed from a true Guardian to a desperate wanderer, I guess..."** Infernape added, causing Hikaru to sweat drop as he face palmed for the more salt in the wound.

"You didn't have to add that part, buddy..." Hikaru groaned as Infernape sheepishly smiled at how embarrassed his human brother felt. That was until he noticed a strange fog coming out of nowhere and into the forest.

Not only that, he heard something around them! He narrowed his eyes before looking around suspiciously.

Catching on with Infernape's sense of hearing and sense of danger, the Sinnoh Champion used his Aura to search on what's coming to them. As he couldn't find anything with the strange fog coming out, he called out to the one that's coming for them.

"Show yourself, whoever you are! You know that you can't hide forever even with this fog you're giving us!" Hikaru snapped as both he and Infernape heard footsteps of crunching leaves coming to their way! They turned to where the sound was coming from as they got ready to fight if they needed to.

They heard evil giggling as the figure came close to their sights as the fog began to disappear with seconds passing by. As the fog was completely out of the way, the Sinnoh Champion and Infernape widened their eyes to see a woman!

The woman looked insane with the face expression she was giving off, looking like it was ready to kill as Hikaru noticed the aura in the woman very strong... Strong with darkness supporting it.

"Who are you? Are you one of the Shadows' leaders?" Hikaru asked dangerously as the woman giggled in a dangerous way.

"Now that's not very nice... This is just like the time when the Unova brat and his mutt interfered with my plans at the train ride to Vertress City..." The woman said as Hikaru and Infernape both widened their eyes in surprise.

"Unova...? Mutt? You mean Takeru and Narri? What did you do to them!?" Hikaru snapped as the woman laughed at the anger the Sinnoh Champion was showing as she took notice of the glowing pupils of the young Aura Guardian.

"Nothing... You just contacted the Unova Champion, didn't you? It proves that I had nothing to do with him since he looks all fine and dandy!" The woman said in a malicious way as Infernape snapped at her while gritting his teeth.

 **"Shut up! We know you did something to them! The way you speak and the way you look, shows on how big your lie is! Now, spill it!"** Infernape snapped back as his fists blazed with flames, as Hikaru prepared to unsheathe the **Aura Blade**.

"It's just as Infernape says. Answer the question!" demanded Hikaru as the woman smirked as she whistled very loud! Both the Sinnoh Champion and his Flame Pokémon jumped back, leaning their backs against each other as Shadows surrounds them!

As Hikaru got ready to fight, he noticed the woman running off, as he slashed some of the Shadows away with the **Aura Blade** to make his pursuit! "Get back here!" Hikaru snapped as the **Aura Blade** glowed, having enough power to slash the entire Shadow group that was in front of him!

Infernape was still fighting the Shadows as he watched to see his human brother chasing after the woman. **"Hey! Wait, Hikaru!?"** Infernape cried out as Hikaru looked back at him, feeling his partner on what he should do while he was on pursuit.

"You deal with the other Shadows, Infernape! I'm going to have a little talk with this witch that's running away like a coward!" Hikaru cried out as he continued his pursuit, as the Flame Pokémon continued to fight off the Shadows, understanding the circumstances he and Hikaru were in right now.

Right now wasn't the time to argue... It was the time to fight and to deal with the enemies!

 **Meanwhile...**  
  
"Dammit! I said, stop!" Hikaru snapped as he kept chasing the woman that had yet answered his questions. Seeing that the woman will keep resisting, the young Aura Guardian focused on the power that was given to him after he had accepted his true nature.

Seeing the card glowing right in front of him, he used the **Aura Blade** to slash the card and summon forth a similar power that Takeru and the SEES had!

"Come, Orpheus!"

The Persona similar to Makoto's appeared, using its ability to blast fire towards the woman, who expertly dodged the attack! Seeing how swift she was, Hikaru changed for a different method for the attack.

 **"Akasha Arts!"**  
  
Orpheus slammed its harp-like weapon down, spreading massive dark energy to knock the woman away, only for the woman to jump high in the air, looking at the shocked Sinnoh Champion tauntingly.

"Did you think that would take me by surprise? You'd have to do better than that!" The woman laughed as she landed on the ground, moving as fast as she could, much to Hikaru's annoyance as he focused his power to create an Aura Sphere.

Once the Sphere was created, he threw it towards the woman by jumping up in the air, launching it at the same time! The Aura Sphere exploded near the woman, looking like it made a direct hit. Landing on the ground, Hikaru's pupils glowed brightly as he tried to find the woman if she was still standing or not.

But to his surprise, he couldn't find the sign of the woman as he felt something behind him! He quickly turned to see the woman maliciously sneering at him while aiming her sharp needles towards him!

Still shocked by the sudden appearance, Hikaru attempted to block it with his **Aura Blade** , which seemed to have done the trick...

Not.

The collision of the needles and the **Aura Blade** created a blinding light, blind enough to blind a Legendary Pokémon temporarily as Hikaru was blasted back! "Grgh...!" Hikaru grunted as he skidded on the ground, as his eyes protected him from being blind as the woman noticed this.

"Oh? You can still see? That's pretty impressive... coming from the young Aura Guardian in the Sinnoh region. But it still doesn't make a difference. That blow just now should've been able to limit your powers and your movements." The woman said, catching Hikaru by surprise.

"What's that supposed to mean...?" Hikaru asked as the woman smirked, before showing her needles, showing a small piece of ripped fabric!

"Haven't you noticed yet, boy? When our two weapons have collided, the power of my **Shadow Needles** have cut through a tiny bit of your skin, which should be weakening your body and your powers... Now." The woman said with a sneer.

As soon as she said that, Hikaru felt his body feeling heavy as he grunted while falling to one knee. He widened his eyes in disbelief as his powers felt weak, as his eyes returned to normal. "What's... happening?!" Hikaru grunted as he struggled to stand back up.

"I warned you, kiddo... My **Shadow Needles** have the power to weaken any opponents in a matter of seconds once my needles managed to pierce them. Even a tiny poke is nearly fatal to your powers!" The woman giggled evilly as Hikaru glared at her, with anger in his eyes.

"Dammit... For me to not see it coming..." Hikaru grunted as he dropped his Aura Blade, causing it to fall on the ground next to him! The woman chuckled as she took out more **Shadow Needles** , wanting to finish the Aura Guardian off.

"Hm... What to do, what to do... I could finish you off right now... but that would be going against the mission I was given. I think... I'll let you fight yourself in this round." The woman said as she snapped her fingers. As soon as she did so, a mass of darkness began to combine together, as Hikaru managed to stand up.

He weakly watched to see the darkness combining together as he braced himself for what's coming. "What... What are you?!" Hikaru started to say, until he heard a familiar voice calling to him!

 **"Hikaru!?"** Infernape cried out, catching the young Aura Guardian and the woman as they watched to see the Flame Pokémon coming towards them, with small scratches on him, showing the results of his victory against the Shadows.

"Tch... Those Shadows couldn't keep you away, couldn't they...? Well, no matter... You're too late, fire ape! You can't save your dear brother now! Appear! Bring on the ring!" The woman cried out loud as the ground started to shake!

It startled both Hikaru and Infernape as they managed to hang on, until four pillars appeared, falling from the sky as they surrounded Hikaru and the mass of darkness! The four rings then linked together, trapping the Aura Guardian inside with the mass of darkness.

The woman cackled as the ring for the battle was complete. "Have fun in there, Champion of Sinnoh..." The woman said evilly as she disappeared out of sight, using the fog to camouflage herself as Infernape dove for her!

 **"No you don't! Stop!"** Infernape snapped as he used Flamethrower towards the woman.

But to his surprise, his attack missed, resulting in the woman escaping, thanks to her powers!

 **"No! Dammit!"** Infernape snapped as he turned to see Hikaru confronting the mass of darkness, which was starting to take form! Both Hikaru and Infernape watched as the shadows merged together to transform into one surprising object...

Hikaru himself...

"What the...!?"

 **"No way... Is that... Hikaru's Shadow!?"** The two expressed their shocks as the figure looking like Hikaru opened his eyes, smirking to see the real self right in front of him.

 _ **"Long time no see, real me..."**_ Shadow Hikaru said with a smirk as the Sinnoh Champion took a step back with both shock and annoyance.

"What... How? How are you there when you're supposed to be Orpheus...?" Hikaru said in shock as his Shadow self shrugged in a sarcastic way.

 _ **"How should I know? What I do know, is that you've been neglecting your true nature."**_ Shadow Hikaru said seriously, catching the young Aura Guardian by surprise.

"My... true nature?" Hikaru repeated in confusion as his Shadow nodded with a smirk.

 _ **"It's exactly as I said. From what I remember, you're usually a cool and calm-collected person when you're in a tough spot, or when you're thinking carefully. That personality came after you revived from the incident at Spear Pillar... But, look at you now. You're well... How should I say this...? Ah yes... Desperate."**_ Shadow Hikaru said seriously.

"Desperate...?" Hikaru said in confusion as he felt doubt rising inside him.

 _ **"That's right. Ever since Twinleaf and many areas of Sinnoh has been attacked by the Shadows like me, you've been growing desperate... Desperate to save the ones that you love... Saving the ones who you know that you can't save... That... is what I call, desperation."**_ Shadow Hikaru said mockingly.

"Saving the ones that I know that I can't save... What's that supposed to mean?" Hikaru snapped demandingly as the Shadow smirked.

" _ **Don't play dumb. I know you're searching for Yamato… Because you're me. And I'm you. This is part of the reason why you're so desperate. It's just like what Infernape said. You turned from a true Guardian to a desperate wanderer."**_ Shadow Hikaru said mockingly.

The words that came from his Fire Type partner's mouth struck Hikaru hard as this was coming from his real self. Infernape noticed this and frowned, feeling worried for his human brother.

" **Hikaru…?"** Infernape said in worry as the Shadow continued on.

" _ **This is why I'm here. Why that woman summoned me here. I'm no longer your Persona."**_ Shadow Hikaru said as Hikaru widened his eyes in disbelief.

"N-No… way… That's… You're wrong… You can't be…" Hikaru started to say as he fell to his two knees, as he faced the ground. Infernape widened his eyes and tried to call for his human brother.

" **Don't listen to him, Hikaru! It doesn't matter what you become or how you changed! You're still you! The true you that always makes the decisions for himself! It doesn't matter if you became desperate or not! I know you're feeling that way because you want to protect everyone that you love! Hinata, Sora, Dawn, and everyone else! Anyone can feel the same as you while gaining determination at the same time!"** Infernape yelled out loud.

The words managed to reach Hikaru as the Shadow was pissed off as he summoned the **Aura Blade**. " _ **Tch… You're starting to piss me off, Infernape… Just shut up and watch! We're going to fight it out and see who deserves to live the most! But from what I told the real me, he doesn't seem to have the strength to fight at-"**_ Shadow Hikaru started to snap until he felt a sharp presence right in front of him!

The Shadow turned to see Hikaru pointing his summoned **Aura Blade** to him as the Shadow took a few steps back, looking a little surprised while amused at the same time.

"Yeah… Infernape… You're right. Whether I'm fighting the other me or not, it doesn't matter. And you're right about me wanting to protect everyone, even though there's a chance that I might not be able to save them! I'll do it… I'll do it… not just for me, but for all the people and Pokémon that I love!" Hikaru cried out, his eyes glowing again, filled with determination.

" **Yes! Now that's the human brother I love!"** Infernape said with overjoy as the Shadow just scoffed at the determination his real self was pulling off.

" _ **So you've gained your resolution to fight, huh? Fine… I'll just beat that resolution out of you again, so you can go back to your pathetic desperate self!"**_ Shadow Hikaru snapped as he raised his dark **Aura Blade** to fight.

Standing straight up, as he felt the power returning to him, Hikaru glared at his Shadow self, as he felt the Aura powers surging through his body. "I won't run from my desperation anymore… I won't neglect my true self… But also, I won't stray from my desires to fight and to protect!" Hikaru said out loud, causing the Shadow to flinch at how loud his real self was.

" **Persona**!"

At the call, Orpheus appeared, much to Infernape's surprise as he remembered that Hikaru's Shadow said he was no longer his Persona anymore. But what the Shadow did next surprised both him and his human brother even more, as the Shadow looked even more pissed than ever.

" _ **Pathetic! I'll crush down that determination of yours, then! Come! Orpheus!"**_ Shadow Hikaru snapped as he used the dark Aura Blade to slash the Arcana card to summon forth Orpheus, the Persona that the real Hikaru had!

"That's impossible… How!?" Hikaru said in shock as the Shadow laughed, as he began to enjoy the battle that was about to come.

" _ **Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Now then! Show me how strong your "determination" is, "real me"!"**_ Shadow Hikaru laughed as he charged towards his real self with his Persona at his side. Realizing that the battle had begun, Hikaru charged as well, with his loyal Persona at his side.

Infernape watched in both confusion and worry as he noticed that both fighters were using the same Personas, which means they would have equal skills and power. But what confused the Flame Pokémon was how the Shadow was able to gain the power of a Persona when Shadows were just… themselves! Before any more questions could come to his mind, he felt the presence of a Shadow behind him as he turned to see more Shadows coming to his way!

" **Not you freaks again!** " Infernape snapped as he began to whip up his Fighting skills and his Fire powers to defeat the enemies that were surrounding him.

CLANG! SLASH!

The blades and the harp-like weapons of the two Persona-users and their Personas clashed as Hikaru struggled to withstand his Shadow's attacks. Orpheus was also having the same problem as his fake self! The Shadow laughed as he managed to nearly overpower his real self as he jumped back, before preparing to attack again.

" _ **Ha ha ha ha ha! You said you were going to show me your determination! But, is this the best that you've got!? How pathetic!"**_ Shadow Hikaru laughed as his Orpheus launched an **Agidyne** attack towards Hikaru's Orpheus, as the real Persona protected itself with its harp, despite the blow being a bit hard.

The Sinnoh Champion felt the blow a little as he struggled to keep fighting.

"I'm not going to back down, Shadow! Let's go, Orpheus! **Cadenza**!" Hikaru cried out as Orpheus glowed, healing himself and his master as the next strike from the Shadow was easily dodged! The Shadow blinked in surprise as Hikaru was suddenly behind him! Using the **Aura Blade** 's power, he slashed the Shadow away, inflicting some serious damage to it.

" _ **Tch… Orpheus' special move, huh…? No matter! It doesn't change a thing! God's Hand!"**_ Shadow Hikaru yelled as the fake Orpheus raised its harp high, before slamming it down to the ground, Summoning a giant fist that seemed to be coming from the heavens!

Hikaru jumped back as he called for a counterattack. " **Akasha Arts!"**

The mass of dark energy collided with the God's Hand, creating a huge explosion! It caused both Persona-users to skid back while the Personas flew back, floating besides their masters. Once the Shadow recovered however, it began to move faster than the real Hikaru as he aimed the **Aura Blade** to his heart! Seeing it coming, the Sinnoh Champion countered with his **Aura Blade**!

The two blades clashed as sparks flew in the air, before the two Persona-users skidded back from each other, as Hikaru prepared to use his own special move.

" **AURA ASCENSION SLASH!"**

At the yell, Hikaru made the 12-hit combo, slashing his Shadow self multiple times, while Orpheus easily began to overpower his fake self. Both the Shadow and the fake Persona winced as the Shadow was slammed against the ring's wall! Electricity from the ring's lasers shocked the Shadow as it screamed in pain before it fell to the ground.

Hikaru walked over to his fake self slowly until he realized that the battle wasn't over yet, as he still felt some dark aura in it! Jumping back, he prepared the **Aura Blade** as Orpheus prepared to use Agidyne on its fake self. With his Judgement correct, the Shadow slowly rose up, scoffing at the pain he felt just now.

" _ **Tch… Dammit… That actually hurt, a lot, actually…"**_ Shadow Hikaru snapped in annoyance as Hikaru glared back at him.

"It serves you right for trying to make me go off course from being true to myself, you fake! You're finished!" Hikaru yelled as he jumped up to make the finishing blow, until the Shadow countered with a look of hatred in his piercing yellow eyes.

" _ **Damn you! Don't mock me!"**_ Shadow Hikaru snapped as he used the power of his dark **Aura Blade** to send an aura wave that knocked the wind off of Hikaru as he widened his eyes at being hit! He slammed onto the ground, as he struggled to keep standing. His Persona disappeared, leaving him to face his Shadow and the fake Orpheus alone.

"I almost had him… Dammit!" grunted Hikaru as Infernape turned to see his human brother actually losing to his own Shadow!

" **Hikaru! No!... Whoa!"** Infernape started before he dodged the attack that came from one of the Shadows that surrounded him. The number of the enemies were decreasing for the Flame Pokémon, but for his human brother, he was overwhelmed from the last attack the Shadow gave off.

The Shadow prepared to make another attack with the dark **Aura Blade** , with the fake Orpheus prepared to make the finishing blow! " _ **Die!"**_ Shadow Hikaru yelled out loud as the Shadow charged to slash through his real form. But Hikaru managed to counter back by quickly summoning back his Persona to the battle.

" **Cadenza!"**

Once again, the healing energy from Orpheus' powers soothed Hikaru as he managed to dodge the Shadow's piercing attack, much to its surprise. Then, with the timing and the moment right, the Sinnoh Champion whipped out the **Aura Blade** , slashing the Shadow's body! The Shadow screamed as he felt the power inside him cut in half as he tumbled onto the ground with his fake Persona disappearing.

At that point, the ring surrounding the two collapsed into dust, as the Shadow began to disappear, melting as he scoffed in satisfaction. As Hikaru approached his fake self with Orpheus disappearing into his mind, the Shadow gave a small glance to the young Aura Guardian.

" _ **Looks… like I underestimated you… Hikaru Platinum…"**_ Shadow Hikaru said as it finally disappeared, soon becoming a mess of black goo. Once the Shadow was completely gone, all the other Shadows that were fighting Infernape disappeared, as if seeming like they were scared, now that their leader for this battle was gone.

Infernape ran over to his human brother and helped him up, feeling worried for Hikaru's condition. " **Hikaru!? Are you alright!?"** Infernape asked in worry as the young Aura Guardian smiled softly at his Flame Pokémon, before confirming that he was fine.

"Don't worry, Infernape. I'll be fine… I just need to rest a little… now that since the battle just now took some of my energy away…" Hikaru said sheepishly.

The Flame Pokémon smirked a little, as he knew that his human brother had spent too much energy pursuing the crazy woman along with fighting his Shadow. Agreeing to rest, he lied down next to his human brother as they watched the sky growing orange as they decided to postpone their search for tomorrow. What they didn't know is, that the woman had left someone else to watch over them, who would test their true bonds as dawn comes by tomorrow.


	8. The Envious Being Called Sly part 1

Hikaru and Infernape continued their way in the forest as they continued to search around and see if there were clues to where Yamato might be right now.

 

While they were walking however, thoughts began to flood the Twinleaf boy's mind as he remembered about the Shadow he fought… the Shadow that took form of himself while having the Persona, Orpheus at its side.

 

 _If that Shadow was able to wield a Persona without any problems, then the enemies that were going against could be stronger than we imagined..._ Hikaru thought as he narrowed his eyes. Infernape noticed his trouble as he turned to his human brother with a worried look.

 

" **Hey... You okay there, bro?** " Infernape asked, catching the young Aura Guardian by surprise as he turned to see his starter Pokémon staring at him in worry. Hikaru smiled and shook his head, before he tried to reassure his best friend that he was fine.

 

"I'm fine... I just have a lot of things in my mind, Infernape... Like the time when that woman came to us and summoned the Shadows..." Hikaru explained, causing Infernape to nod in understanding as he folded his arms with a serious look.

 

" **Yeah... Not to mention, she even summoned a Shadow that took the form of you. And to make it worse, the Shadow was also able to summon a Persona, when a Persona originally comes from the Shadow of a person's true feelings...** " Infernape said as Hikaru sighed.

 

"If the Shadows are being aided by some freaks in order to become strong, then this world of ours will never be a good or safe place if this keeps on..." Hikaru said as Infernape nodded in agreement.

 

" **You're right... So, um... Would you mind telling me on where we're going again? It's someplace where we could get clues to find your Dad, right?** " Infernape asked, earning a nod from his human brother.

 

"Yeah... We're going to Mt. Coronet. You can see the mountain up ahead, right?" Hikaru said, pointing to where Mt. Coronet was, catching the Flame Pokémon's attention as he bit his lips, before he began to tremble a little.

 

" **That place...? Out of all places, why that place, bro...? That place is where all bad memories came from!** " Infernape complained loudly, catching them Aura Guardian by surprise as he turned to his Flame Pokémon.

 

"You're still frustrated from what happened? When we fought against Team Galactic at the Spear Pillar?" Hikaru asked seriously as Infernape frowned, before he continued to explain his reason for his complaints.

 

" **Frustrated? I think upset would be more like it! That place is the same place where you died once, remember?! If it weren't for your Dad saving you from that black hole or whatever, then you wouldn't be here with me right now...** " Infernape snapped, catching Hikaru's attention.

 

The mentioning of his death reminded the young Aura Guardian of the time when he was knocked into the portal where the new world was, which turned into some sort of a vortex that tried to suck everyone in. And one of the victims that ended up being sucked in was Hikaru himself.

 

His father had to save him when he regained control of himself, while getting rid of the darkness inside him. The father and son were dragged in by the vortex, enough to make his friends and his Pokémon siblings upset.

 

At remembering that, the Twinleaf boy frowned with the expression his Flame Pokémon was giving off before he shook his head while trying to explain.

 

"Even if it was bad memories for both you and me, that doesn't mean we can be scared of the place. Believe me, Infernape... I didn't want to go back there, but with the messages the Dire Wolves had sent me, this is the best place to get some clues of my Dad." Hikaru explained.

 

Widening his eyes in disbelief, Infernape frowned at his human brother before he gave a reluctant nod. Once he makes a decision and explains his reasons, there were no ways to change his mind.

 

Not even Infernape himself could try to make Hikaru think differently, especially when something important occurs to him or to his family. With that in mind, the Flame Pokémon hesitantly agreed to assist Hikaru with the search on Mt. Coronet.

 

" **Alright... But this will be the last time we head there, okay?** " Infernape said, earning a thankful look from his human brother's face as he nodded gratefully.

 

"Thanks." Hikaru said as the two continued onto where Mt. Coronet was.

 

Later, the two arrived at the entrance of the mountain, where the Spear Pillar would be located at. At seeing the large and dark entrance right in front of them, Infernape kept his uneasy expression as he felt funny from being here again all of a sudden.

 

" **Something feels weird all of a sudden. It's like... I feel like something bad is about to happen here...** " Infernape said, causing Hikaru to narrow his eyes before he looked around to see of anything or anyone else is around.

 

"I see what you mean. I'm feeling funny about this, too." Hikaru said as he used his eyes to see where the funny feeling was coming from. As he looked around slowly, he spotted an aura that didn't seem friendly as he formed an Aura Sphere.

 

"Alright... Why don't you come out!? It's rude stalking people when you're not letting them know that you're here!" Hikaru snapped as he threw the Aura Sphere to where the funny feeling was coming from. But as he threw the Sphere, a long and large arm knocked the Aura Sphere away!

 

This shocked both Hikaru and Infernape as they braced themselves for impact. While they did so, the two large arms shot towards them, forcing the two to dodge as they managed to get out of the way.

 

" **Damn it! He said to come out! Flamethrower!** " Infernape yelled as he shot his Fire type attack towards the arms, causing them to burn while causing someone to scream from the flames!

 

"HOT! HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!" A voice cried out as a figure jumped out of the bushes and ran around, trying to get the flames on his large and long arms to be blown out as both Hikaru and Infernape watched the figure run around.

 

Soon, the figure stopped as he panted from the running he had to do because of the flames burning his arms. The figure stood up and glared at his two opponents as Hikaru inspected the figure closely with a serious look.

 

The figure strangely had black hair on one side of his head while having white hair on the side of his head. His right eye had a black pupil while the other eye had a glowing yellow pupil. His outfit was the same as his hair while his face seemed normal as a human boy.

 

"Dammit, what did you have to burn me for!? I could've just came out if you'd just ask nicely!" The boy snapped as Hikaru glared at him, making a reminder of what the boy could've done earlier.

 

"Then you should've came out and revealed yourself rather than just wait and stalk us like a freak. Who are you, anyway? And why are you following us?" Hikaru demanded as the boy narrowed his eyes at the Aura Guardian.

 

"To you two... A problem. And why I follow, I don't feel like answering." The boy said arrogantly as dark miasma flowed around him, catching both Hikaru and Infernape by surprise as the miasma began to surround both them and the boy!

 

" **What the...?! Bro!** " Infernape gasped as he lost sight of his human brother. The same went for Hikaru as he was beginning to lose sight of where Infernape was. Soon, the two of them could no longer see each other as they seemed to be separated by the dark miasma.

 

For Hikaru, he prepared to summon Orpheus as he looked to see himself in... a dark colosseum?

 

The colosseum seemed abandoned and old, as there were no people around. But to Hikaru, that wasn't a problem to him as he turned to face the boy that appeared again, who smiled creepily at the young Aura Guardian as Hikaru got ready to strike when he needed to.

 

This boy seemed different than the one Hikaru and Infernape saw together as this one had black hair and outfit, while having the creepy look on his face while smiling.

 

"I'll ask you again, you freak. Who are you? What are you?" Hikaru demanded as the boy sneered at the question, before he made his answer.

 

"I'm someone called Sly. If you want to leave this dark place and continue on, you're going to have to defeat me here! The same goes for your fiery ape." The boy, now known as Sly said as Hikaru readied his Aura Blade by summoning it in his hands.

 

"Infernape, I hope you're going to be okay with this..." Hikaru thought as he watched Sly preparing to make an attack.

 

The mysterious boy let out a yell before he sent dark miasma to the Twinleaf boy, forcing Hikaru to dodge as he lunged at Sly to counterattack. Unfortunately, Sly quickly made a dark barrier to deflect the attack and knock Hikaru away!

 

At his attack being deflected, the Twinleaf boy quickly made an Aura Sphere before he threw it, only for Sly to use his arms to turn them into long, dark arms! At seeing this, Hikaru widened his eyes as he recognized the same arms that deflected his Aura Sphere before.

 

"Tch... This is going to be tedious..." Hikaru whispered to himself as he attacked again. While using the Aura Blade, the mysterious boy formed two blades from his arms, allowing him to clash with the Aura Blade as the swords clashed together multiple times!

 

The sparks flew in the air as the two blades continued to clash until one swipe from Sly knocked the Aura Blade away! At realizing he was disarmed, the Twinleaf boy jumped away to dodge another attack as he ran to his weapon.

 

Before Sly could strike Hikaru, the Aura Guardian managed to retrieve his weapon and knock the long blade that was sent by Sly's right arm. Once again, the two battlers clashed with their weapons, as Hikaru continued to fight on, his determination remaining strong.

* * *

Infernape faced another version of Sly. The only difference for this one was that this Sly had complete white hair and outfit. The colosseum Infernape was on was white all over, with the field looking abandoned and old.

 

"If you want to reunite with your so-called brother, then you're going to have to defeat me here! My dark version should be handling the young Aura Guardian fine." Sly said softly.

 

Unlike the Sly that was facing Hikaru right now, this Sly seemed pleasant and nice. But the Flame Pokémon wasn't fooled as he knew that Sly would attack him... right now.

 

His guess was proven to be right as the mysterious boy formed energy balls of light before he threw two at Infernape! Using his agility and skills to evade attacks coming, Infernape flipped out of the way as he shot Flamethrower at the mysterious boy.

 

Sly smiled at his fiery opponent softly as he launched more energy balls from his hands, causing the two attacks to collide together before they exploded at the collision! Seeing this moment to strike, Infernape lunged at the mysterious boy with his fists, preparing to use another move.

 

" **You're not bad for the one that works for the Shadows! Try this on for size! Close Combat!** " Infernape yelled as he punched and kicked at his soft opponent, who took the attack! But as Close Combat went on, the opponent Infernape was punching on disappeared!

 

" **What the...?!** " Infernape gasped until an energy ball blasted him away! It knocked him onto the ground as he gritted his teeth, before he glared to where the energy balls were coming from.

 

To his surprise, it was Sly, who seemed to be wounded a little, but still healthy enough to keep fighting.

 

"Ugh... That was brutal... But it means nothing if you can't finish me off with just one move!" Sly said as he shot more energy balls at Infernape, allowing the Flame Pokémon to use his agility to dodge the balls again, preventing him from taking any damage.

 

As Sly stopped launching the balls, he began to question his fiery opponent, who still seemed ready to take his opponent on.

 

"Why are you so loyal to this... human brother of yours? What good is he except with his powers?" Sly asked, catching Infernape by surprise as he braced himself, in case if this were to be a trick or not.

 

" **Why does it matter!? I stay by his side because I care for him! I love him as my brother! He's the one that cared for me and looked after me every time when I fought against an opponent! It's because of him and the others that I was able to become strong like this!** " Infernape snapped.

 

At his outburst, he shot Flamethrower again, as Sly created a barrier of light to block the flames as he continued on with the complicated questions.

 

"Well then... What if he had some scheme in mind, to use you and your other Pokémon friends as tools just so he could reach his goals? He may show and act like he cares for you, but did you ever think of what he truly felt about you?" Sly asked softly.

 

At the question, he launched an energy ball to blast Infernape, who knocked it away with a Thunderpunch attack! But after hearing of what Sly said, the Flame Pokémon hesitated for a moment before he lunged to strike again.

 

" **Don't mess with me! Hikaru would never scheme something behind us! I know that he cares and loves for us because I've been with him ever since we met! Don't talk as if you know him, when you don't!** " Infernape snapped as he landed a punch on the barrier.

 

The Close Combat shattered the barrier, shocking the mysterious boy before he jumped back to recover from the shield that was just destroyed. While he did so, Infernape got ready to fight again, wanting to prove that Sly's words were wrong.

 

 _This guy wouldn't understand the bond between Hikaru and I! I just know it! I just know that Hikaru would never think darkly of me or the others!_ Infernape thought as he lunged at his opponent again with ThunderPunch.

* * *

The Aura Blade and the dark blade arms clashed with each other again as the two battlers struggled to overpower one another as the dark version of Sly sneered, before he pushed Hikaru away to slash at him!

 

But Hikaru knew better as he flipped back to evade the surprise attack Sly was trying to make as he made some distance between himself and his Shadow opponent. But as he was ready to strike once more, Sly sneered at him before his expression suddenly became serious.

 

"I'm curious... Why do you fight for your Pokémon when they're not humans like you are? Aren't you supposed to, I don't know, treat those creatures as slaves and tools for your own gain?" Sly asked as Hikaru blinked at the question before he narrowed his eyes.

 

"Did you really ask that stupid question? For me, I believe Pokémon and humans can be equal when they're one. For someone who works for the darkness and the Shadows, I hardly believe you'd understand." Hikaru said as he lunged at the Shadow's comrade once again.

 

The two blades clashed together once more as one slash from Hikaru knocked Sly away as the mysterious boy scoffed, before noticing the wound on his arm.

 

"Tch... You're right. I don't understand. You humans are so strange sometimes, you know that? Both you and your creepy Pokémon friends!" Sly snapped as he lunged at Hikaru, who managed to block a strike before he was struck by the left!

 

Wincing in pain, the Twinleaf boy jumped back and focused on summoning Orpheus, which the mysterious boy seemed to notice as he angrily lunged at the young Aura Guardian.

 

"Dammit! I won't let you summon your other self! Take this!" Sly snapped as he shot a dark energy ray while Hikaru managed to summon the Arcana Card to call forth his Persona.

 

"Come, Orpheus! Cadenza!" Hikaru cried out as he grasped the card, causing it to shatter and summon forth his Persona.

 

As Orpheus was summoned, he began to use his powers to heal his human self, allowing Hikaru to easily dodge the energy ray from the mysterious boy, who glared at his Aura Guardian opponent.

 

As Hikaru took the chance to strike at Sly again, the comrade of the Shadow glared at the Twinleaf boy, as he was starting to get annoyed with the determination the young Aura Guardian was showing off for his bond between himself and Infernape.

 

"You may wish that Pokémon were equal to you, but what about your fiery ape? Does he think the same like you do!?" Sly snapped as his arm clashed with the Aura Blade, causing the Twinleaf boy to skid back and recover from the sudden assault.

 

"Of course he would think that way... I've known him ever since I chose him as my partner to begin my journey! What, are you trying to tell me that the bond we've created together was a lie? Don't kid yourself!" Hikaru snapped as he slashed at Sly's chest.

 

The comrade of the Shadow winced in pain before he lunged at his opponent once more, out of hatred and anger. Orpheus then took his place above Hikaru as the young Aura Guardian called out a command to stop his enemy from advancing towards him.

 

"Akasha Arts!"

 

The power Orpheus was used, allowing strong energy waves to knock Sly back as he was hit multiple times by the powerful attack the Persona gave off.


End file.
